Not every apple is ready in October. Use this calendar to know exactly when your favorite variety is ripe for picking, then find a U-Pick orchard growing it near you.
The US apple picking season runs roughly from late July through mid-November. Southern and low-elevation orchards start first, northern and mountain orchards finish last. In any given week of that four-month window there are typically 3 to 8 different varieties at peak somewhere in the country. That is why the calendar below is organized by variety, not by state, once you know what you want to pick, you can find a local U-Pick apple orchard growing it.
Ripening dates shift year to year based on spring frost, summer heat, and fall rain. The dates below are the reliable averages that hold true 4 years out of 5. For the week you plan to visit, always call the orchard the same morning. And if you want to see what is peaking closest to you right now, use our orchards near me page and sort by distance.
A month-by-month breakdown of the US apple harvest, with which varieties peak, what they are best used for, and what to expect when you visit.
Early-season openers
The apple year begins quietly. Only a handful of orchards open in July, and mostly for tart cooking apples like Lodi. If you want the earliest fresh-picked apple experience, watch orchards in southern Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the North Carolina foothills. Bring a bag for pie apples and cider donuts.
The season warms up
By mid-August most Northeast and Midwest orchards open their gates. Ginger Gold gives you a sweet, honey-like early apple, and Zestar has become a customer favorite for its crunch and balanced flavor. This is a great month for families with young kids because trees are less crowded than in September.
Peak season begins
September is the month everyone waits for. Honeycrisp typically peaks the second or third week and orchards can sell out over a single weekend. McIntosh, the classic New England apple, ripens alongside it. Weekends are busy, arrive right at opening for the best trees and shortest lines at the cider donut counter.
The biggest selection
October gives you the widest choice of any month. Late-summer varieties are still hanging while storage apples like Fuji, Braeburn, and Jonagold reach peak. This is the best month for a bake-and-store haul, most of these apples will keep in a cold garage or refrigerator through the holidays.
Late-season storage apples
By early November most orchards are down to their latest varieties. Pink Lady and Granny Smith are worth the trip, they are exceptional keeping apples and hold their crunch until spring. Many farms close after Veterans Day weekend, so call ahead the week you plan to visit.
Ripening dates shift by two or three weeks depending on where you live. Southern orchards start earliest, northern and high-elevation farms finish latest. Here is how the season plays out across the country.
Peak season runs mid-September through late October. Cool nights bring out the crisp, bright flavor Northeast apples are famous for. The Hudson Valley, the Champlain Valley, and central Pennsylvania all hit peak at roughly the same time.
Season starts late August and peaks in late September. Michigan grows more apple varieties than almost any other state and its lake-effect climate produces some of the best Honeycrisp in the country. Minnesota orchards specialize in University of Minnesota releases like Honeycrisp, SweeTango, and Zestar.
Peak season is late September through mid-October. Elevation matters, mountain orchards in Virginia and West Virginia ripen two to three weeks after valley farms. Look for Winesap and Stayman, two classic mid-Atlantic varieties you rarely see elsewhere.
Washington produces roughly 60 percent of US apples. Season runs mid-August through November with excellent storage varieties. U-Pick is less common than in the East, but the orchards that do welcome visitors offer varieties like Cosmic Crisp, WA 38, and Envy that are hard to find elsewhere.
Higher elevations in western North Carolina and northern Georgia are where U-Pick apples thrive. Peak is early September through mid-October. The Hendersonville and Ellijay apple belts host apple festivals and cider donut stands most weekends of the season.
Look for Gravenstein and heirloom varieties in coastal California starting in July. Julian in San Diego County, Oak Glen in the mountains east of Los Angeles, and Apple Hill outside Sacramento all run September through October. Desert orchards in Arizona and New Mexico ripen later.
Even the best online calendar cannot predict a heat wave or a cold snap. Every serious U-Pick orchard posts a daily picking update or answers the phone. A five-minute call saves you an hour of driving.
Apples respirate fast in a hot trunk. If it is over 75°F, put your bag in the back seat with the AC vents pointed at it, or bring a soft cooler for the ride home. This alone can add a month of storage life.
Cup the apple in your palm, twist upward gently, and lift. Do not pull straight down, you will snap off the fruit spur and lose next year's apple in that spot. Orchards remember visitors who treat their trees well.
Every orchard has a variety that is just hitting perfect ripeness. It might not be the famous one on the sign out front. Ask the person at the register, they will point you at the best tree in the field.
The earliest US apple varieties, Lodi, Pristine, and Ginger Gold, begin ripening in mid to late July in southern and mid-Atlantic orchards. Most U-Pick farms open the first weekend of August, and peak season starts in early September.
Most U-Pick orchards close by the end of October or first weekend of November once the late-season varieties (Fuji, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Rome) are picked. In warmer climates like California and the desert Southwest, some farms run into mid-November.
Across most of the country, the last week of September through the first two weeks of October is peak. Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Gala, Cortland, and early Fuji are all typically ripe at once, giving you the widest selection in a single visit.
Call the orchard the same morning, most post a daily picking update. Ripe apples release from the branch with a gentle upward twist. If you have to yank hard, they are not ready. Also check that the seeds inside a test apple are dark brown, not white.
Yes, significantly. Mountain orchards ripen two to three weeks later than valley orchards in the same state. A Honeycrisp ready September 10th at 500 feet may not be ready until October 1st at 3,000 feet.
Lodi is typically the first US apple ripe, often the third week of July. It is a tart green apple used mostly for sauce and pie. Pristine and Ginger Gold follow within a week or two.
Pink Lady (Cripps Pink) and Granny Smith are the latest-ripening common varieties, harvested late October into mid-November depending on region. Both are excellent storage apples and hold their crunch for months.
Find orchards near you →
Sort the closest U-Pick apple farms by distance from your address or ZIP.
Full varieties guide →
Taste profiles, storage notes, and history for 50+ apple varieties.
U-Pick day checklist →
What to bring, what to ask, and how to pick apples that store best.
Apple recipes →
Pies, crisps, cider, butter, and more, tested with fresh-picked apples.
Now that you know what is ripe, find a pick-your-own orchard growing it near you. Enter your ZIP code on our Near Me page to see the closest farms first.